Lecture 22: Auditory Perception 1

Question 1

Why is hearing important?

Answer 1

• Allows us to locate stimuli in the
environment
• Always alert to potential danger
! We cant close our ears!
• Vital part of communication

Question 2

_________ is a repetitive change

in air pressure over time

Answer 2

sound

Question 3

Sound travels through space as ________

Answer 3

waves

Question 4

which is longer sound waves or light waves?

Answer 4

sound waves

Question 5

What is the differences between sound and light waves?

Answer 5

Sound waves are long (0.0172 - 17.2)
Sound can bend (light only straight lines)
Sound produced rather than reflected.

Question 6

Light wavelengths are measured in ___________

Answer 6

nanometers

Question 7

physical vs psychological
frequency is to ______
amplitude is to ______
complexity is to _______

Answer 7

Frequency – Pitch
Amplitude – Loudness
Complexity – Timbre

Question 8

How does timbre differ?

Answer 8

Presence of different levels of harmonics.

Question 9

How is sound captured and signalled?

Answer 9

Outer ear - Gathers sound (funnels it), position of elevation.
Middle - Amplifies signal
Inner - Location, frequency mapping.

Question 10

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ contains
primary
receptors
and is filled
with fluid

Answer 10

cochlea

Question 11

______ are muscles which control the

middle ear bones

Answer 11

tensor tympani

Question 12

_________ protects us from damaging loud sound bursts

Answer 12

middle ear or tensor tympani

Question 13

What is the human frequency range?

Answer 13

20Hz - 20 kHz

Question 14

The __________ of a wave

determines the pitch of the sound we perceive

Answer 14

frequency

Question 15

Frequency is measured in ___________

Answer 15

Hertz (Hz)

Question 16

What is the range that we are most sensitive to (i.e. Human Hearing Threshold Curve )

Answer 16

2000-5000Hz

Question 17

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_  is the
relationship
between
frequency and
pitch

Answer 17

mel scale

Question 18

____________ tells us the
degree of compression (or rarefaction)
of the sound wave (height of the wave).

Answer 18

amplitude or intensity

Question 19

Amplitude is measured in ________

Answer 19

decibels (dBs)

Question 20

_____________ is how we perceive amplitude and is frequency dependent

Answer 20

loudness

Question 21

What does the inverse square law mean?

Answer 21

Energy from the source dissipates with distance.

or

sound attenuation or
decrease of sound intensity from a point
source based on the reciprocal of the
square of the distance

Question 22

Which frequencies dissipate less over distance?

Answer 22

Lower frequencies (sounds from a long way away sound muffled with low frequencies)

Question 23

refers to a decibel scale with a standard
reference pressure (Pr) of about

Answer 23

Sound Pressure Level

SPL

Question 24

The ear is sensitive to an enormously

wide range of __________

Answer 24

pressure amplitude

Question 25

___________ is a logarithmic scale | that compresses human range

Answer 25

the decibel scale

Question 26

It is the ratio of a pressure to some | reference pressure

Answer 26

Decibels (dBs)

Question 27

__________ is the lowest | frequency which determines pitch

Answer 27

Fundamental frequency (pitch)

Question 28

________________ multiples of the fundamental frequency

Answer 28

harmonic frequency

Question 29

refers to how we perceive the | tone or quality of a complex sound

Answer 29

timbre

Question 30

all have a different timbre (‘colour’) | because their __________ differ

Answer 30

higher harmonic

Question 31

complex patterns added to the lowest, complex patterns added to the lowest, or fundamental fundamental, frequency of a sound, , frequency of a sound, referred to as ___________

Answer 31

spectrum envelope

Question 32

spectrum envelopes enable us to spectrum envelopes enable us to distinguish

Answer 32

musical instruments

Question 33

Multiples Multiples of fundamental fundamental frequency frequency give______

Answer 33

music

Question 34

Multiples of unrelated unrelated frequencies give ______

Answer 34

noise